In the Middle of the Night, I’m Afraid You’ve Got Bad Ideas About Me
No matter how much Su Jingyang wracked his brain, he still couldn’t figure out why Ah Yi had suddenly appeared behind him. It was obvious too that this absolutely wasn’t a coincidence. Su Jingyang’s face was full of thick confusion and shock.
Ah Yi didn’t explain. While Su Jingyang was pulling his throat hoarse and screaming like a ghost, Ah Yi kept his face dark and turned his head aside, avoiding his gaze.
Then, then those long fingers started… undoing his clothes???
Su Jingyang was so frozen he felt wooden all over, and before he could even process what was happening, a black outer robe was tossed at him, covering his head.
Ah Yi’s cold voice reached his ear. “Hurry up and put it on. If you freeze to death, I’m not collecting your corpse.”
Su Jingyang couldn’t be bothered to bicker with him right now. He yanked the robe down and wrapped it around himself. He finally wasn’t as cold. Sniffling, Su Jingyang looked at Ah Yi, who was now only in a thin inner garment, and felt so grateful he could cry. Ah Yi didn’t soften at all, turning to leave immediately.
Su Jingyang carried his wet clothes and the rabbit lantern, trotting after him with quick little steps. “You still haven’t told me how you ended up here.”
Ah Yi didn’t even turn his head. “Ling Li was worried. He asked me to help find you.”
Su Jingyang finally caught up, walking at his side. He muttered under his breath, “That’s what I thought. How could you possibly come looking for me in the middle of the night.”
Su Jingyang’s eyes darted around. All sorts of thoughts were already taking flight in his head. This guy treated Ling Li so well. He had even come out to look for Su Jingyang just because Ling Li said a word. He had to be interested in Ling Li!
Su Jingyang was more than willing for Ling Li to find happiness again, but leaving aside how Ah Yi’s identity was unclear, Ling Li’s extremely resistant attitude the last time Su Jingyang had tested the waters made Su Jingyang feel like Ah Yi’s intentions might be doomed.
Even though Su Jingyang’s muttering was quiet, Ah Yi still heard it. He took a deep breath and turned his eyes, staring straight at Su Jingyang. His jawline was tightly drawn with restraint.
Su Jingyang also stopped. He was baffled by that look. “Why aren’t you walking? What do you want, staring at me with that annoying gaze again?”
Seeing him blinking those clear, bright eyes at him, Ah Yi forcibly swallowed back the words, “I want to beat you to death” that had already reached his lips.
Ah Yi noticed the rabbit lantern in Su Jingyang’s hand. It was old and damaged. He casually changed the topic. “It’s already broken. Why not throw it away?”
Su Jingyang followed his gaze and lowered his head to look. “I’m not throwing it away. It’s Ling Li’s.”
“You really care about him.”
“Of course I care. He and Ah Xuan are the people closest to me in this world.” For some reason, Su Jingyang suddenly felt a little hollow and wistful. He stared into the empty dark, his voice growing much quieter. “If one day I can leave this place, the only ones I won’t be able to let go of will definitely be them.”
“…Leave this place?” Hearing that light, faintly sorrowful tone, Ah Yi’s brow twitched uncontrollably.
Su Jingyang snapped back and realized what he had said. Without changing his expression, he hastily smoothed it over. “Right. I’m planning to travel around to different places in the future, see the sights.”
The night wind was bitingly cool. Su Jingyang shivered again. He hugged his arms tight around himself and exhaled with a tremble. His voice even had a nasal twang. “Let’s hurry back. Ling Li’s probably worried sick.”
Ah Yi shot him another look and finally started walking again. “If you know he’s worried, why did you come out in the middle of the night? Can’t you use your brain even a little?”
“I did use my brain.” Su Jingyang argued righteously. “I searched where I fell. I thought it had to have dropped then. It’s strange though that I couldn’t find it. Could someone have picked it up? What if they use it to do something bad? Whatever, whatever. I’ll come back at dawn and search again. If I can’t find it, I’ll report it lost and get a replacement.”
“…”
Ah Yi closed his eyes and raised his hand to cover his forehead. A breath stuck in his throat, unable to even sigh it out. He was truly speechless.
On the way back with Ah Yi, Su Jingyang spotted that drunk who had harassed him earlier lying motionless on the ground.
The light was poor, so Su Jingyang didn’t notice anything abnormal. He walked up and kicked him once, cursing under his breath. Then he leaned in, about to pull his clothes back from the drunkard’s arms.
Before he could reach out, Ah Yi grabbed him hard.
Ah Yi frowned. “It’s wrinkled like that. Why do you want it?”
Su Jingyang thought he was misunderstanding and thinking he was randomly picking up someone else’s clothes. He turned back and explained, “That’s my clothes.”
“I know they’re your clothes. You think I don’t know what you wore today?” Ah Yi dragged him along. “Don’t take it. It’s full of someone else’s smell.”
“You can wash smells out. This is the clothes our boss gave me, the quality’s good. It would be a waste to throw it away.” Su Jingyang shook him off and still pulled his clothes back. When he turned his head, Ah Yi had already abandoned him and walked off. He was walking fast, and even his back looked steeped in impatience and irritation.
This person had to be a clean freak. He didn’t like other people’s scent on his clothes.
Su Jingyang lowered his head and looked at the black outer robe wrapped around him. He thought that maybe Ah Yi wouldn’t want this robe anymore either.
Su Jingyang hurried after him, and the rest of the way passed in silence. When they reached home, Su Jingyang saw Ah Yi push his door open and said he would wash the robe tomorrow and return it.
Whether Ah Yi wanted it or not, Su Jingyang still had to give it back.
The moment Su Jingyang finished speaking, his reply was a loud slam of the door.
However, Su Jingyang didn’t dwell on it. He sucked in a cold breath and quickly went back into his own home.
Ling Li still hadn’t gone to sleep. Wrapped in a robe, he sat in the hall staring blankly at the flickering candlelight, his silhouette lonely and cold. Su Jingyang rushed in and called out. Only then did Ling Li jolt to his feet and come over, exhaling in relief like a weight had lifted.
“This…” Ling Li looked at him. Su Jingyang was a mess. He was carrying a lantern, holding wet clothes that were still dripping water, and the black robe on his body was clearly… Ah Yi’s.
Ling Li’s light-brown eyes flickered slightly.
Su Jingyang’s face was pale and he was shivering. Ling Li hurried him into bed, then went to bring him hot water so he could bathe.
After Su Jingyang finished bathing and changed clothes, he finally felt like he had recovered a little. With his nose red, he went into the courtyard to wash Ah Yi’s robe. He sneezed while he washed.
Seeing Ling Li still busy in the kitchen, Su Jingyang called out and asked what he was doing. Ling Li said he was boiling ginger soup for him.
Su Jingyang wrung out the washed robe and hung it up in the courtyard. Ling Li brought him the ginger soup. Su Jingyang grinned and said, “Ling Li’s the best,” then took it, blowing on it as he drank.
Ling Li pulled out something and handed it to Su Jingyang. Su Jingyang took one look and nearly sprayed the ginger soup out of his mouth.
It was the identity plaque he searched for all night!
He stared at Ling Li in shock and asked where he found it. Ling Li honestly told him that Ah Yi had given it.
Su Jingyang stood there holding the ginger soup bowl, eyes wide and unblinking. For a moment he looked completely petrified.
Ling Li called, “Jingyang?”
Su Jingyang slapped his own forehead. Only now did it all click. The identity plaque had to have been picked up by Ah Yi after Su Jingyang fell. Ah Yi calling out from behind him had also been because of this. Su Jingyang, had just stupidly run with his head down. No wonder Ah Yi had kept saying he should use his brain…
Su Jingyang was truly defeated by himself. The strangest part was that his thinking really had felt like it had frozen solid. He hadn’t gone in that direction at all.
The only explanation Su Jingyang could give was that he had too little faith in Ah Yi. When he heard Ah Yi call “wait,” he assumed Ah Yi was about to mock him again.
“No wonder he was willing to go out and look for me. He knew I would return empty-handed. At least he has some conscience.”
Ling Li froze.
Su Jingyang noticed his expression was off and asked, “What’s wrong, Ling Li? Don’t tell me… it wasn’t you who sent him out?”
“It was, it was me.” Ling Li clasped his hands together, gripping them tightly. He lifted his eyes and subconsciously glanced toward the courtyard wall, then said softly to Su Jingyang, “I wasn’t at ease, so I asked him to go have a look. Are you still drinking the ginger soup? I’ll get you another bowl.”
Su Jingyang shook his head. After thinking, he asked, “Ling Li, is there still a lot of ginger soup?”
Ling Li nodded, and Su Jingyang said, “I’ll bring a bowl over to next door. He took his clothes off and gave them to me earlier. If he gets sick from the cold, my conscience won’t let me rest.”
Ling Li looked at him. His lips moved, like he wanted to say something. In the end he only gave a quiet “Oh.” Then, gently, “Alright. I’ll ladle it out and deliver it. You go rest first.”
Ling Li went into the kitchen, but Su Jingyang didn’t go to his room. He thought he heard coughing from next door, and he felt uneasy. The ladder was propped by the wall, so Su Jingyang climbed up and poked his head over the wall to take a look.
Ah Yi’s courtyard was brightly lit. Su Jingyang could see everything at a glance.
Ah Yi happened to come out to the courtyard to fetch water. He quickly noticed the pair of gleaming large eyes on the neighboring wall head, sneakily peering this way.
He didn’t even need to see the full face. He knew who it was. Out of everyone he met, there was only one person whose eyes were black and bright enough to dazzle someone dizzy.
Ah Yi sucked in a breath through his teeth, face dark, and called at him, “When are you going to fix that wall-climbing habit of yours?”
Su Jingyang hadn’t expected to get caught so quickly and felt a little guilty. “I just heard you cough. Are you alright?”
Ah Yi walked a few steps farther into the courtyard before he said, “I choked on water.”
Su Jingyang said, “Someone with martial arts skills can choke on water?”
Ah Yi rolled his eyes at him. “Yes, not only can I choke on water, in a hundred years I’ll even die. Impressive, right?”
Su Jingyang said, “Stop drinking water then. Open the door. I’m bringing you ginger soup.”
“I’m not opening it. In the middle of the night, I’m afraid you’ve got bad ideas about me.” Even as he said that, he was already walking a few steps toward the gate.
Su Jingyang was speechless. “It’s not me delivering it. Ling Li is.”
Ah Yi abruptly stopped. He turned and looked at him, voice cold. “You don’t have hands and feet of your own?”
“Hey, what’s wrong with Ling Li bringing it over? You’re seriously hard to serve.” Su Jingyang lay on the wall top for a moment, then suddenly turned his head. His head disappeared behind the wall.
Hearing movement next door, Ah Yi didn’t leave. He stood there, wanting to see what trick Su Jingyang was pulling.
A moment later, Su Jingyang popped up again. A small bamboo basket hung from a rope in his hand, swaying as he lowered it. Inside was a steaming bowl of ginger soup.
Seeing Ah Yi still standing there, not moving, Su Jingyang shouted weakly, “Hurry up and catch it, buddy! It’s about to spill everywhere!”
Ah Yi: “……”
Ah Yi finally stepped forward. He reached out his “honored hand” and took the ginger soup, then said to Su Jingyang, “You really do have endless tricks.”
“What else am I supposed to do? You won’t open the door. You think I want to?” Su Jingyang snapped.
Ah Yi didn’t want to talk to him anymore. He just stood there and drank the ginger soup down.
Su Jingyang, exhausted, lay there waiting. His eyes half-closed as he stared at his bobbing Adam’s apple.
When Ah Yi put the bowl back, Su Jingyang pulled up the rope and reeled in the basket and bowl. He pressed his lips together. In a gloomy tone, he told the youth still standing beneath the wall, “Make sure you lock your doors and windows. Watch out for flower-picking thieves in the middle of the night.”
Under the lamplight and moonlight, Ah Yi folded his arms and lifted those ink-black, beautiful eyes to look up at him. His words landed like a nail. “Just hurry up and go to sleep already.”
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